"But, in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence too."(Hawthorne pg 218)
Introduction
I imagined Hester's soul being like the pages of a worn journal.
1. "Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted for too long a series of generations in the same worn-out soil." Hawthorne pg 277
We believe that Hawthorne tied this sentence to the end of the book by revealing his thoughts on how we as humans have brought our children up. We may try to avoid bad soil or famine, but we still have to cling to the fact that our sin or our past will play a roll in the upbringing of our children.
2. "In absorbing contemplation of the scarlet letter, I had hitherto neglected to examine a small roll of dingy paper, around which it had been twisted." Hawthorne pg 297
Hester was created as a hidden heroin, forced to be neglected by society. Hawthorne places the protagonist face to face with the antagonist, Chillingworth, to allow the reader to examine the depth of who Hester really is rather than just another scarlet letter.
3. "He was much out of place as an old sword-- now rusty, but which had flashed once in the battle's front, and showed still a bright gleam along its blade--" Hawthorne pg 288
When I'm put in front of a group of people that intimidate me or surface some form of insecurity, the outcast under the surface manifests and ultimately takes hold of who I am. Beneath the fear is a gleam that no one else can see other than those that look for it, the narrator looks for something other than indifference and concludes that while there is is rust over the sheen of a sword, it's still worth the benifit of the doubt.
"But the object that most drew my attention to the mysterious package was a certain affair of fine red cloth, much worn and faded. There were traces about it of gold embroidery, which, however was greatly frayed and defaced' so that none, or very little, of the glitter was left." Hawthorne pg 296
Chapter 1
“The Prison Door” represents the scarlet letter’s symbolism
which is sin, separation, and secrecy. A prison door is the
only separation between a normal society and thesins which
criminals have committed. The scarlet letter represents a form
of secrecy and to the public, a prison door hide things which
the outside world does not see. The title of chapter one has a
mirrored symbolism of that of the scarlet letter. A prison door
is the boundary between a society and the sins which place
people on the opposite side of that boundary; the scarlet letter
is a secret form of a sin that few people are even aware of.
Both a prison door and the scarlet letter are out in the open,
visible to the publics' eyes, however, there is a secrecy and
separation which hide behind what is seen.
“Mean Girls” by Sugarland "Mean girls, well, I ain't a mean girl
But I've known a few
They'll make you cry, baby
And then blame it on you
They'll hate you if you're pretty
They'll hate you if you're not
They'll hate you for what you lack, baby
They'll hate you for what you've got
Mean girls, scratch and spitting
Mean girls, can't be forgiven
Mean girls, make me women
Mean girls
Starts on the playground pulling your hair
Then in high school, gets worse from there You'll see 'em coming, they travel in packs
Smile to your face, baby, stabbin' your back
If they ain't out a-prowling
Creeping down the hall
You'll find 'em by the lockers, baby
Sharpening their claws
Mean girls, start 'em young
Mean girls, forked tongue
Mean girls, see 'em and run
Mean girls, mean girls
Sugar and spice and everything nice
Thinks she's hot but she's cold as ice
First comes love then comes marriage Then comes her mama with another little wannabe
Mean girls, full of hate
Mean girls, just can't wait Mean girls, take your date
Mean girls, make stuff up
Mean girls, just bad luck Mean girls, stink
Mean girls, best friends forever
Mean girls, almost never
Mean girls, whatever
Mean girls, hey, mean girls"
This song by Sugarland is a perfect portrayal of the typical “mean girls”, a group of whom gossip about Hester before she enters. Like the girls in the song, these women travel in a pack and think highly of themselves as having good repute and yet the dissolute way in which they gossip proves the very opposite. They hate her for not being holy and pure and I also think they hate her for her beauty and all the attention she is getting- they hate her for what she’s got and what she lacks. They gossip freely and cruelly behind her back but hush very quickly when she is within earshot, similar to the way the women in the song smile to the girl’s face but stab her in the back. I also think this song speaks accurately to the idea that mean women go on to raise more mean girls, as evidenced by the cruel way the Puritan children later treat Pearl.
Chapter 3 This chapter is titled “Recognition”, a title which can be interpreted to refer to many different aspects.
1) It refers to the mutual recognition between Hester and the “stranger” watching the scene. The stranger gradually realizes that it is his Hester standing on the platform and recognizes her for Hester as well as what she has come to be. In the same way, Hester, with horror, recognizes her old husband standing there looking at her and later his voice when he addresses her.
2) It refers to the crowd and clergymen’s recognition of Hester as an adulteress and the darkness of such a sin. This is the first time the whole town is to look at Hester and recognize her as an adulteress and portrayal of the sin they should observe, not as a fellow townsperson. They also for the first time meet and associate Pearl with Hester and her sin.
3) It refers to Hester’s recognition of her fate. She realizes for the first time what her life will truly be like. All the anxieties she had had about what her life will be like are now confirmed. She realizes she will receive no sympathy and will forever remain an outcast.
Chapter 6
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
- Hope by Emily Dickenson
Emily Dickenson wrote that hope is a thing with feathers, and Pearl is perched in the cage that society has put her in. Surrounding Pearl in every direction she turns is the hypocritical misconceptions that people have put on her; she doesn’t belong they say. Perched above Pearl is a crow, wrapping its wings around the cage to insure her captivity; the reader soon finds Pearl captivating rather than held captive.
Chapter 7
Pg. 68 “Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee.”
This quote was spoken by Hester to Pearl and it gives insight to both the
relationship which Hester has with her daughter, as well as Hester's
depression throughout the book. Because of her affair, Hester came to
question the human condition, social organization, and the moral values
which society and herself, prior to the affair, had clung to. This quote
relates to Hester's characteristics in the book. Hester has realized that if
Pearl follows in her same footsteps, that she will become an outcast.
She does not want her daughter cut off from society and the life they
used to know. Princeton.edu defines depression as a "mental state
characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent
lack of activity." While reviewing this quote and Hester's overall attitude
towards the curveballs which life has thrown her when she is first
introduced, she would fall under the classification of depression. However,
as the book unfolds, and the reader is drawn into Hester's history, it begins
to seem like she is less of a depressed mother and more of a single parent
simply trying to cope with a heavy secret.
Chapter 8
Just as the clergymen try to determine whether Hester is a fit mother, courts today try to determine whether or not a parent is fit.
Virginia attorney and counselor at law, James H. Wilson, gives a list of guidelines on what a court takes into consideration when deciding if a parent is fit for custody. Here is how Hester comes out.
Qualification
In Hester’s Favor?
Explanation
The child’s age, sex and mental and physical health.
YES
Pearl is young but adjusted, female and of vigorous phyisical health and stable mental health, though a little elfish.
The parent’s mental and physical health
YES
Though spiritual health may be debated, she is phyisaclly and mentally sound.
The parent’s lifestyle and other social factors, including whether there is history of abuse
YES
Though she has sinned in the past, there is nothing condemning Hester’s current lifestyle. She has no unhealthy habits and has hardly even ever raised her voice.
The emotional bond between parent and child, as well as the parent's ability to give the child guidance.
YES
Pearl and her mother get along well and both have an bond, though odd, to eachother. Hester can give the best guidance, as she herself has learned the pain of sin.
The parent's ability to provide the child with food, shelter, clothing, and medical care
YES
Hester provides substantial food, shelter, medical care and fabulous clothing.
The child's established living pattern (school, home, community, religious institution)
YES, for the most part
Pearl is well adjusted to her life and the ministers themselves say that education will be provided. Pearl has a good home and attends church. The only thing she lacks is community – she faces solitute.
Today, Hester would pass with flying colors. I think she is a fit mother because she is loving, gentle but disciplining, more than able to provide all necessities and has a bond with Pearl. To satisfy the Puritan’s desire for spiritual guidance, I think Hester excels. She has seen the pain that sin can cause first hand. Of course, she will do her best to prevent such pain from reaching her daughter. Chapter 9-10
In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth have a relationship not unlike that of DR. John Hammish Watson and detective Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes. Both of these pairs care for one another, on a level sometimes described as a "Bromance." While DR. Chillingworth cares for Dimmesdale in a physical state, Watson cares for Sherlock in a mental state. What that means is that while Chillingworth is physically taking care of Dimmesdale's health, Watson is simply trying to keep Holmes sane throughout the course of the movie.
Chapter 11
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Scandal Birmingham, Alabama mayor Larry Langford had a secret longterm political scandal. He was finally caught, however his punishment was not as severe as it should have been, at all. It is similiar to Scarlet Letter, in that Dimmesdale was able to keep secrets without the questioning of anyone of the public. In the Larry Langford money scandal, Langford was able to keep up with a scam for a long duration of time without receviving any questions as to where large amounts of money were going; or why he was suddenly becoming so rich. Chapter 13 It was a piece of cloth alone
Yet it carried so much on its own
A letter scarlet at first she did wear
In the days when she had glowing skin and velvet hair
But, oh the change that letter has brought
Perhaps more than any had thoughtIt is the same letter there
That Hester was long forced to bare
But this letter that has made the sinner adorned Has left it's watchers and wearer transformed
The letter that once sowed so much scorn
Has been in a new way reborn
What once caught haughty and hateful eyes
Now represents in a way, a prize
The "A" that once stood for adulteress
Now stands for "able" and her handiworks impress
The town all smiles at what her needle produces
And no longer regard her as one of the town’s shameful recluses
Hester may well be a Christ figure in literary speaking. Her crown of thorns could be the scarlet letter. Christ was given the crown of thorns in a mocking and cruel manner, where Hester wears her Scarlet Letter out of sin rather than innocence.
They nod and say, "She's paid her due"
But alas Hester's torture is not through
Time is a friend but an enemy too
It erases hurt but multiplies some it sees due
As the town sees the “able” letter gleam
Hester has lost all her womanhood, it seems
Hair that once glimmered in the sun
Now hides under a cap, wrapped in a bun
A figure that once personified womanhood
Is now just a statue of civil and generous good
A face that once held the resolve of the world
Now holds the sadness of hope unfurled
So we see that while the people have changed
Hester’s soul is still much estranged
The guilt they have waved aside
Has buried itself into Hester’s silent pride
Years can pass and people can forgive
But sometimes in the soul most hurt, new life cannot live
Time can erase and time can cure
But when the night falls, they’ll still be whispering about her Chapter 18The minister has finally discovered hope. The heavy guilt that has weighed upon his shoulders throughout the story is finally being lifted. In Hester, he has renewed hope, optimism and purpose. For the first time in the novel, we begin to see some of his illness of the heart vanish and some of his life restored. I think Hawthorne calls him Arthur now because he has abandoned some of the qualities that have sprung from him being a minister. It is from his being a minister, an example for the people, that he has heaped so much guilt upon himself and shut out all joy. As he now throws off guilt and sorrow, we see that he must have abandoned his holy guilt in a way as well. The new person he has become is not defined any longer by the title of "Minister", which is why the author now calls him Arthur.Final Assignments
For Hester, her scarlet letter became translucent when Pearl illuminated the dark that society gave. Nearly every woman wishes that she had a daughter to relate with and to cherish, where as Pearl wasn’t necessarily the daughter Hester had ever expected she was the daughter that raised the dead in her after being scorned for all her wrongs. If Hester had had a son, we may not have seen Hester’s sin manifested so much in her child. It is because of the likeness between Hester and Pearl that we are able to relate them so much. Pearl serves to mock her mother sometimes and remind her of a sin. A boy may not have been such a powerful portrayal.Hidden sin is covered with false accusations and unyielding eyes. Chillingworth commited the greatest sin. Chillingworth was full of sin that was both hidden and very obvious throughout his being, the mere way he carried himself had an air of complacency and accomplishment through feeble heartache. Mr Dimmesdale was full of regret and remorse, not knowing which direction he was being lead to; truth or a life full of lies. Chillingworth’s worst crime was taking complete and total advantage of the friendship that was presented in a moment of truth and ultimately snuffed any spark of life that was left of Dimmesdale.
"But, in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence too." (Hawthorne pg 218)
Introduction
We believe that Hawthorne tied this sentence to the end of the book by revealing his thoughts on how we as humans have brought our children up. We may try to avoid bad soil or famine, but we still have to cling to the fact that our sin or our past will play a roll in the upbringing of our children.
2. "In absorbing contemplation of the scarlet letter, I had hitherto neglected to examine a small roll of dingy paper, around which it had been twisted." Hawthorne pg 297
Hester was created as a hidden heroin, forced to be neglected by society. Hawthorne places the protagonist face to face with the antagonist, Chillingworth, to allow the reader to examine the depth of who Hester really is rather than just another scarlet letter.
3. "He was much out of place as an old sword-- now rusty, but which had flashed once in the battle's front, and showed still a bright gleam along its blade--" Hawthorne pg 288
When I'm put in front of a group of people that intimidate me or surface some form of insecurity, the outcast under the surface manifests and ultimately takes hold of who I am. Beneath the fear is a gleam that no one else can see other than those that look for it, the narrator looks for something other than indifference and concludes that while there is is rust over the sheen of a sword, it's still worth the benifit of the doubt.
"But the object that most drew my attention to the mysterious package was a certain affair of fine red cloth, much worn and faded. There were traces about it of gold embroidery, which, however was greatly frayed and defaced' so that none, or very little, of the glitter was left." Hawthorne pg 296
Chapter 1
“The Prison Door” represents the scarlet letter’s symbolism
which is sin, separation, and secrecy. A prison door is the
only separation between a normal society and thesins which
criminals have committed. The scarlet letter represents a form
of secrecy and to the public, a prison door hide things which
the outside world does not see. The title of chapter one has a
mirrored symbolism of that of the scarlet letter. A prison door
is the boundary between a society and the sins which place
people on the opposite side of that boundary; the scarlet letter
is a secret form of a sin that few people are even aware of.
Both a prison door and the scarlet letter are out in the open,
visible to the publics' eyes, however, there is a secrecy and
separation which hide behind what is seen.
Chapter 2
http://www.actionext.com/names_s/sugarland_lyrics/mean_girls.html
“Mean Girls” by Sugarland
"Mean girls, well, I ain't a mean girl
But I've known a few
They'll make you cry, baby
And then blame it on you
They'll hate you if you're pretty
They'll hate you if you're not
They'll hate you for what you lack, baby
They'll hate you for what you've got
Mean girls, scratch and spitting
Mean girls, can't be forgiven
Mean girls, make me women
Mean girls
Starts on the playground pulling your hair
Then in high school, gets worse from there
You'll see 'em coming, they travel in packs
Smile to your face, baby, stabbin' your back
If they ain't out a-prowling
Creeping down the hall
You'll find 'em by the lockers, baby
Sharpening their claws
Mean girls, start 'em young
Mean girls, forked tongue
Mean girls, see 'em and run
Mean girls, mean girls
Sugar and spice and everything nice
Thinks she's hot but she's cold as ice
First comes love then comes marriage
Then comes her mama with another little wannabe
Mean girls, full of hate
Mean girls, just can't wait
Mean girls, take your date
Mean girls, make stuff up
Mean girls, just bad luck
Mean girls, stink
Mean girls, best friends forever
Mean girls, almost never
Mean girls, whatever
Mean girls, hey, mean girls"
This song by Sugarland is a perfect portrayal of the typical “mean girls”, a group of whom gossip about Hester before she enters. Like the girls in the song, these women travel in a pack and think highly of themselves as having good repute and yet the dissolute way in which they gossip proves the very opposite. They hate her for not being holy and pure and I also think they hate her for her beauty and all the attention she is getting- they hate her for what she’s got and what she lacks. They gossip freely and cruelly behind her back but hush very quickly when she is within earshot, similar to the way the women in the song smile to the girl’s face but stab her in the back. I also think this song speaks accurately to the idea that mean women go on to raise more mean girls, as evidenced by the cruel way the Puritan children later treat Pearl.
Chapter 3
This chapter is titled “Recognition”, a title which can be interpreted to refer to many different aspects.
1) It refers to the mutual recognition between Hester and the “stranger” watching the scene. The stranger gradually realizes that it is his Hester standing on the platform and recognizes her for Hester as well as what she has come to be. In the same way, Hester, with horror, recognizes her old husband standing there looking at her and later his voice when he addresses her.
2) It refers to the crowd and clergymen’s recognition of Hester as an adulteress and the darkness of such a sin. This is the first time the whole town is to look at Hester and recognize her as an adulteress and portrayal of the sin they should observe, not as a fellow townsperson. They also for the first time meet and associate Pearl with Hester and her sin.
3) It refers to Hester’s recognition of her fate. She realizes for the first time what her life will truly be like. All the anxieties she had had about what her life will be like are now confirmed. She realizes she will receive no sympathy and will forever remain an outcast.
Chapter 6
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
- Hope by Emily Dickenson
Emily Dickenson wrote that hope is a thing with feathers, and Pearl is perched in the cage that society has put her in. Surrounding Pearl in every direction she turns is the hypocritical misconceptions that people have put on her; she doesn’t belong they say. Perched above Pearl is a crow, wrapping its wings around the cage to insure her captivity; the reader soon finds Pearl captivating rather than held captive.
Chapter 7
Pg. 68 “Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee.”
This quote was spoken by Hester to Pearl and it gives insight to both the
relationship which Hester has with her daughter, as well as Hester's
depression throughout the book. Because of her affair, Hester came to
question the human condition, social organization, and the moral values
which society and herself, prior to the affair, had clung to. This quote
relates to Hester's characteristics in the book. Hester has realized that if
Pearl follows in her same footsteps, that she will become an outcast.
She does not want her daughter cut off from society and the life they
used to know. Princeton.edu defines depression as a "mental state
characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent
lack of activity." While reviewing this quote and Hester's overall attitude
towards the curveballs which life has thrown her when she is first
introduced, she would fall under the classification of depression. However,
as the book unfolds, and the reader is drawn into Hester's history, it begins
to seem like she is less of a depressed mother and more of a single parent
simply trying to cope with a heavy secret.
Chapter 8
Just as the clergymen try to determine whether Hester is a fit mother, courts today try to determine whether or not a parent is fit.
Virginia attorney and counselor at law, James H. Wilson, gives a list of guidelines on what a court takes into consideration when deciding if a parent is fit for custody. Here is how Hester comes out.
Today, Hester would pass with flying colors. I think she is a fit mother because she is loving, gentle but disciplining, more than able to provide all necessities and has a bond with Pearl. To satisfy the Puritan’s desire for spiritual guidance, I think Hester excels. She has seen the pain that sin can cause first hand. Of course, she will do her best to prevent such pain from reaching her daughter.
Chapter 9-10
Sherlock Holmes Movie Trailer
In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth have a relationship not unlike that of DR. John Hammish Watson and detective Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes. Both of these pairs care for one another, on a level sometimes described as a "Bromance." While DR. Chillingworth cares for Dimmesdale in a physical state, Watson cares for Sherlock in a mental state. What that means is that while Chillingworth is physically taking care of Dimmesdale's health, Watson is simply trying to keep Holmes sane throughout the course of the movie.
Chapter 11
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Scandal
Birmingham, Alabama mayor Larry Langford had a secret longterm political scandal. He was finally caught, however his punishment was not as severe as it should have been, at all. It is similiar to Scarlet Letter, in that Dimmesdale was able to keep secrets without the questioning of anyone of the public. In the Larry Langford money scandal, Langford was able to keep up with a scam for a long duration of time without receviving any questions as to where large amounts of money were going; or why he was suddenly becoming so rich.
Chapter 13
It was a piece of cloth alone
Yet it carried so much on its own
A letter scarlet at first she did wear
In the days when she had glowing skin and velvet hair
But, oh the change that letter has brought
Perhaps more than any had thoughtIt is the same letter there
That Hester was long forced to bare
But this letter that has made the sinner adorned Has left it's watchers and wearer transformed
The letter that once sowed so much scorn
Has been in a new way reborn
What once caught haughty and hateful eyes
Now represents in a way, a prize
The "A" that once stood for adulteress
Now stands for "able" and her handiworks impress
The town all smiles at what her needle produces
And no longer regard her as one of the town’s shameful recluses
But alas Hester's torture is not through
Time is a friend but an enemy too
It erases hurt but multiplies some it sees due
As the town sees the “able” letter gleam
Hester has lost all her womanhood, it seems
Hair that once glimmered in the sun
Now hides under a cap, wrapped in a bun
A figure that once personified womanhood
Is now just a statue of civil and generous good
A face that once held the resolve of the world
Now holds the sadness of hope unfurled
So we see that while the people have changed
Hester’s soul is still much estranged
The guilt they have waved aside
Has buried itself into Hester’s silent pride
Years can pass and people can forgive
But sometimes in the soul most hurt, new life cannot live
Time can erase and time can cure
But when the night falls, they’ll still be whispering about her
Chapter 18
For Hester, her scarlet letter became translucent when Pearl illuminated the dark that society gave. Nearly every woman wishes that she had a daughter to relate with and to cherish, where as Pearl wasn’t necessarily the daughter Hester had ever expected she was the daughter that raised the dead in her after being scorned for all her wrongs. If Hester had had a son, we may not have seen Hester’s sin manifested so much in her child. It is because of the likeness between Hester and Pearl that we are able to relate them so much. Pearl serves to mock her mother sometimes and remind her of a sin. A boy may not have been such a powerful portrayal.Hidden sin is covered with false accusations and unyielding eyes. Chillingworth commited the greatest sin. Chillingworth was full of sin that was both hidden and very obvious throughout his being, the mere way he carried himself had an air of complacency and accomplishment through feeble heartache. Mr Dimmesdale was full of regret and remorse, not knowing which direction he was being lead to; truth or a life full of lies. Chillingworth’s worst crime was taking complete and total advantage of the friendship that was presented in a moment of truth and ultimately snuffed any spark of life that was left of Dimmesdale.